1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a portable barrier for preventing objects from entering a restricted area, and particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a portable barrier set up across a driveway to prevent children's playthings from going into the street.
2. Description of Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,194 issued to Langan discloses a safety barrier for small children. This barrier is designed for attachment to a porch railing to keep small children from crawling through the slats of the railing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,438 issued to Cross et al. discloses a modular rock catchment barrier. This barrier includes a number of concrete bases which may be connected together. Fence panels are mounted on the concrete bases to provide a barrier to catch rocks from an excavation site.
A number of U.S. patents disclose barriers for use in sports, such as soccer and tennis. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,844 issued to Haseltine discloses a portable rebounding soccer training goal; U.S. Pat. No. 843,326 issued to Chapin discloses a tennis net; U.S. Pat. No. 3,980,299 issued to Brown discloses a tennis game apparatus kit; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,521 issued to Berman discloses a tennis court divider net with replaceable bottom panel.
This art does not address the safety of a child at play in a driveway. A child may run into the street to retrieve a toy at the risk of being struck by a vehicle. In order to provide a safer children's play area in a driveway, it is necessary to keep playthings from rolling or bouncing from the driveway into the street.